Chapter 1 Imprisoned in the woodshed
The dim woodshed was full of pungent musty smell. A pair of skinny hands stroked scratches on the door and forced to draw a vertical line. There was no sunlight in the room. This was the only way she can counting days.
Ten days!
Nie Wushuang thought coldly, while increasing her strength, perhaps because exerted herself too much, her fingers" long nails suddenly broke. Although Ten fingers are linked to the heart (1), the scarlet blood emerge. She didn"t even blink her eyes, took the hand back, put it in her mouth, smelled rusty blood. But this pain was nothing to her. Compared to the scene that was painful ten days ago…It"s really nothing.
She sat quietly on the hay in the woodshed, listening to even the slightest voice outside. Ten days, except for the little servant who sent the meal, no one came. After a while, the sound of footsteps in the yard, plus the sound of the iron chain hitting on the floor making a loud noise.
Nie Wushuang quickly stood up and finished her messy clothes. She didn"t want anyone to saw how hunger and embarra.s.sed she was. She used to be the n.o.ble Di daughter of Nie clan, also the prime minister"s furen that was peerless beauty in the Qi State. Even if she was trampled into dust, she should maintain her dignity.
Maybe the person who came is him – Gu Qinghong, her husband. Could it be him? Her sorrowful eyes sparking the light of hope. The door of the woodshed suddenly opened, and the glare of the light came from the outside made her squinted-eyes. Nie Wushuang could not help but tried to see who was coming in.
"Prime Minister"s furen, I haven"t seen you for a long time. How are you doing these days?” A soft voice comes from outside the woodshed.
Nie Wushuang blinked and waited to see who the person was, she sneered “One day you will take the taste of being locked away!”
“How dare!” A wolf-like tigers" servants rushed into the woodshed and dragged her out. They pushed her on the floor hard and shouted, “Shen furen is here, why are you not kneel!”
The rough stone sc.r.a.pped her knees and wrists made her delicate skin quickly shed blood. The pain was like a slap in the face, Nie Wushuang, who was already hunger to the point of faint, suddenly regain consciousness.
She sneered and stood up, wiped the blood on her wrist away, and looked at the pretty woman in front of her, her hair full of beautiful golden hairpins, then mocked "Shen furen? When did the prime minister"s fu have a furen like you? Not to mention that Gu Qinghong still hasn"t married you. Even now, he hasn"t been divorcing me yet. You are a mere concubine but didn"t offer me tea. What kind of lowly furen are you?" After finished sentences, she swept her glance over the servant, and those people bowed their heads hesitated.
Shen Rumei showed dissatisfied on her pretty face prepared to scold, suddenly thought of something and giggling, her red lips like blood said “Nie Wushuang, do you still think that you are the furen of the Prime Minister? Today I came under the order of his excellency, he said …”
Nie Wushuang"s face suddenly turned pale like snow. She shook before she heard her own trembling voice: "What did he say?"
Shen Rumei only grinned at Nie Wushuang, as if she was enjoyed herself frightened out of her wits. For a while, she enjoyed enough then mocked
“His Excellency said that Nie Shi, three years, childless, jealousy, wicked tongue, committed seven valid reasons (2), from now on, you get divorced!"
(1) 十指连心 (shízhǐliánxīn: idiom) the nerves of the fingertips are linked with the heart. This idiom has 2 meaning. 1) Finger injuries are extremely painful 2) have close links with; closely relate to.
(2) 七出 (qī chū) formerly in the Chinese ancient time, the seven valid reasons for divorce are barrenness, adultery, disrespect to parents-in-law, wicked tongue, theft, jealousy and heinous disease
嫡 (dí) legal wife / of or by the wife (as distinguished from a concubine under the feudal-patriarchal system)
夫人 (fūren) Lady of high rank; wife of a feudal lord or senior officer. mean Lady; Madam; Mrs.
府 (fǔ) official residence; mansion/prefecture (from the Tang to the Qing Dynasty) / government office; seat of government/ treasury; a storehouse.
氏 (shì) Clan or Family. In the Ancient time, they called after a married woman"s maiden name; nee (e.g. Nie Wushuang: Nie Shi - Lady of Nie Clan)